This invention pertains to the field of hand-held tools, and more particularly to tools designed to carry replaceable, sharp blades for scraping or stripping surfaces.
A common task in home decorating, repair and renovation is the preparation of surfaces by removing existing paint, wallpaper and the like. Similarly, one often is faced with the task of removing articles attached to glass, ceramic or other smooth surfaces, including removing ice from windshields. The most convenient method of removing such items is scraping or stripping, either with or without an application of steam, water or other fluid to loosen the material, easing removal.
Although the common scraper or putty knife can be employed for some of these applications, these tools have fixed blades that prove too blunt to provide efficient removal of material. Even the "chisel point" style of scraper cannot provide efficient penetration for jobs such as stripping wallpaper or removing decals, etc., from glass. Thus, tools exist, generally referred to as "wall scrapers" or "wallpaper strippers", that provide a removable and replaceable razor-sharp blade, carried in a holder mounted on a handle, in a T-shaped configuration. These tools provide the stripping action desired, but the requirement for securely clamping the blade in position has resulted in structures that are very cumbersome to use. These tools generally employ some variation of screw fitting to clamp the blade, using machine screws that engage a threaded receptacle in the holder or to an external nut, or conversely providing a wing nut or the like in combination with a threaded stud.
All such arrangements make changing the blade a major undertaking, usually requiring a screwdriver or other tool. What users need is a tool that provides the razor-sharp stripping action needed, coupled with a rapid, easy method for changing or reversing blades for safe storage. That need has remained unmet until the advent of the present invention.